The three papers in this volume impressively demonstrate the alliance of religion, nationalistic politics, ideology, and legislation that Russia has forged to ‘legitimise’ its war in the Ukraine. Interestingly, it is not only the Russian Orthodox Church that plays a role here, but also Islam, as Paolo Sartori’s and Gulnaz Sibgatullina’s papers discuss. Sartori, in his paper “The Use and Abuse of Institutions: On Muslim Patriotism in Russia” shows how confessional minorities, such as Muslims, were incorporated into the Russian identity over the centuries. Sibgatullina’s paper “Islam in Russia’s Domestic and Foreign Policy after 2022” explains how Islamic institutions contribute both domestically and internationally to the legitimacy of the current Russian regime. Kristina Stoeckl, in her contribution “Religion, Law and Politics for a Russia at War”, focuses on how the Russian Orthodox Church became an ally of the autocratic state.